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Rotherhams High Street Transformation Continues
Improvements to the High Street continue, with work about to start on three further buildings.
Hambys with its landmark clock from the old Daily Express building in Londons Fleet Street, The Little Coffee Shop and Zax hairdressers will all receive facelifts, including new shop fronts and other restoration works in the coming few months. The work will take place as part of the 3.5 million pound Townscape Heritage Initiative scheme which is supported by funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Rotherham Borough Council and Yorkshire Forward.
They will join the recently refurbished former Supercigs unit, transformed back to its former attractive state, with two one bedroom apartments added, thanks to a THI grant.
Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Yorkshire and the Humber region said:
Historic buildings tell the story of a town, they make it special and unique, and the best way to save and sustain these wonderful sites is to get them back into use. Rotherham town centre is an important place and deserves to be brought back to life. The THI scheme is a great way of using heritage as a springboard for regeneration and investment.
The initiative enabled property owner, Mr Ng, to apply for a grant for improvements to the unit, which were successfully completed this week, making the unit more economically viable and attractive to potential investors.
The apartments created also aim to bring more people to live above the shops, adding to the 116 apartments provided by the new All Saints Quarter which are fully let.
This will complement the private sector investment being made in this area by Primark for example in the complete refurbishment to its High Street shop and yet more investment being made as part of the THI in a 700,000 pound landscaping improvement scheme for Minster Yard.
These improvements form the second phase, following the 150,000 pound Minster lighting scheme unveiled just before Christmas.
The project, which started on March 1st 2010, will see extensive landscaping improvements to create a pleasant open green space with high quality seating, planting and York stone paving. Five trees have already been removed from the Minster grounds and three advanced nursery stock trees will be planted in their place by the end of March. The scheme will also extend the entrance steps and modify the boundary wall on Church Street to open out an approachable piazza creating a welcoming entrance to Minster Yard.
The Councils Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Transportation, Cllr Gerald Smith, said: The scheme gives eligible property owners a cash boost to dramatically restore their properties, so that they can be more easily re let. It is great to see property owners acting on this opportunity and seeing the THI scheme really making progress to put more life back into our High Street.
The improvements will undoubtedly increase the number of people using the Minster Yard. They will create a more pleasant environment to relax in and form an attractive link to the surrounding boutiques opening in Imperial Buildings. This all combines to make the area a pleasant communal garden for the people living in, and visiting, the town centre.
Dovetailing with Yorkshire Forwards Rotherham Renaissance project, the Initiative will see further essential repair and restoration works carried out to help protect and preserve some of the town centres heritage. It is funded by the Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Yorkshire Forward.
